Chocolate chip cookies are THE classic baked good. It was all I ever baked when I was a little kid because it was the first thing I ever learned to bake. On my latest episode of Recipe Testing, I revamped the recipe I used to use when I was 10, and eventually lead me to the ultimate chocolate chip cookie recipe that I am sharing today. It is the perfect balance of crisp and chewy, sweet, salty, bitter, umami, while all melting in your mouth.

These cookies have a few secret and special ingredients — fermented soybean paste and smoked sea salt! Even though I bake for a living, I don’t like having dessert that is too sweet, so I try to find the perfect balance in flavour for everything. The fermented soybean paste adds a little savouriness, and umami, while the smoked sea salt sprinkled on top really accentuates the sweetness in the cookie. I used a mix of milk and semi-sweet chocolate chips for that milky sweetness, and that slight bitterness from the semi-sweet chips. This cookie is so deliciously balanced!

The number one tip to creating the best cookies would be to ONLY USE dough that’s been thoroughly chilled. Throw it in the freezer for a few hours if you have to! Another tip is to have fun with your cookies! You can add or remove anything you like — nuts, flavours, the type of chocolate you use, etc. There are no strict rules when it comes to cookie dough (in my opinion). I’m about to blow your mind with this next tip — you can make almost any cookie dough edible by omitting any kind ingredient that is not safe to eat raw — so by ommitting the eggs, leavening products (baking soda, baking powder), and cooking your flour to 160F/71C to make it safe to eat, then you can freeze them in an airtight container and have homemade cookie dough ready to eat at anytime you have a cookie dough craving! Trust me, I’m speaking from personal experience.

Anyways, enough cookie talk!! Here is the recipe:

EDIT: I noticed a few typos in the recipe, the flour + brown sugar amounts have been adjusted.